A conference entitled "Challenges in Nursing Home Care" is planned in collaboration with the NIA Behavioral and Social Research Program. The conference will be held at the Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy, Florida State University on March 20-21, 2002. A distinguished interdisciplinary group of scientists who are currently conducting research on nursing home care in the continuum of long-term care have agreed to participate in the conference. These scientists have been invited to present papers on their current research, to participate in discussions of other research papers, and to prepare final versions of their papers for dissemination to the scientific community. Among the specific topics to be covered are the roles of nursing homes in the changing context of long-term care and reimbursement patterns, organization and staffing issues, and quality of care from consumer information and patient need perspectives. A session will also address the hot topic of nursing home liability insurance and tort reform in the state of Florida. Conference papers will address challenges currently facing the nation in the provision of nursing home care and establish an agenda for further scientific research on this topic.